Killing Floor

    

     "Killing Floor is a Co-op Survival Horror FPS set in the devastated cities and countryside of England after a series of cloning experiments for the military goes horribly wrong. You and your friends are members of the military dropped into these locations with a simple mission: Survive long enough to cleanse the area of the failed experiments!" -Steam

     I picked up Killing Floor a while back after it had a free weekend. My first impressions were great. I generally don't play 'scary' games, but Killing Floor is an exception. It's a game that keeps making you come back for more. And it rewards you for coming back, with its class system. There are seven different classes in the game, and each have unique passive bonuses and are more adept at different weapon classes. The more you use a class, the more experienced you become with it, unlocking extra/more powerful bonuses.

     From the KF Wiki: "The Firebug is primarily a supporting class, specializing in mob control. His main task is to ignite groups of specimens early to help thin out the smaller zeds, while softening up larger targets and making them easier to deal with. To accomplish this, the Firebug utilizes fire-based damage, receiving bonuses for the Flamethrower, MAC-10, Trenchgun, Husk fireball launcher, and (with a DLC purchase) the Flare Revolver. For all of the five weapons, the Firebug is given a damage bonus of up to 60%, a discount of up to 70%, increased ammo capacity of up to 60%, and faster reload speed (with the exception of the Husk fireball launcher, which doesn't reload)."

    The other six classes are the Field Medic (PDW's such as the MP7/MP5 that can heal other players), Support Specialist (Shotguns), Sharpshooter (Pistols and long-range weapons such as the M14 and Crossbow), Commando (Assault Rifles), Berzerker (Melee), and Demolition (Explosives).

     The game features both solo and multiplayer games, which are round-based, and five different levels of difficulty, ranging from Beginner to Hell on Earth. There are 10 unique zombies, including Clots, the cannon fodder of the game, Stalkers, which are fast-moving and can turn invisible, and Scrakes, large and dangerous zombies wielding chainsaws with deadly efficiency.

     There are many diverse maps, one the most popular being West London: A smaller map on the rundown and zombie-infested streets of London. There are also event maps such as Santa's Evil Lair and the Abusement Park. On special holiday events, all of the zombies are reskinned to represent the holiday, and they are generally very well done. 

     I definitely recommend this game (why else would I be writing about it) to anyone who favors survival, horror, or FPS games. It's a very successful mix of the genres, and you can pick it up on Steam for just $19.99. There is some paid DLC in the game, though only a small portion includes extra guns. Most of the DLC is extra costumes. 

    

   Happy killing!

--DarkestMagi

Videogame name generator

Okay, so this might not be a video game, but it's related. And freaking hilarious. Seriously, I played with this for nearly half an hour yesterday, and I didn't stop laughing once.http://videogamena.me/

Realm of the Mad God

     Right off the bat, i'm going to say that this game is a bit difficult to write about. For one, i've only put an hour or two into it. Second, it's simply a difficult game to write about.
It takes some of the main aspects of a third-person RPG (Diablo-esque camera, not Gears of War) and a bullet hell, mixed with some very pixelated graphics and, unsurprisingly, the end result is quite an interesting game.
     From what i've gathered so far, the object of the game is to survive in the world for as long as possible. Your first character is a Wizard, shooting magical bolts from a staff, with a special ability that creates an explosion of fire across the immediate area. You level up by killing scattered (though not like Skyrim/Oblivion where you can wander for a couple minutes before finding any life) enemies and completing quests, which are simply mini-boss battles. After killing a mini-boss, you will often find a bag'o'loot where they died, containing valuable items such as potions and new equipment.
     Once your character dies, you get to see the stats of your character and how much fame they gained. (Fame is important, though i'm not sure exactly of it's purpose as of yet) and you can reincarnate yourself and start anew. Although, if you reached Lv.5 before dying as a Wizard, you'll notice that you've unlocked the Priest class. After you've reached Lv.5 with a Priest, you unlock the Archer. After that, Rogue, and then Warrior. There is a second tier of classes, and to unlock classes in the second tier, one must reach Lv.20 with two first-tier classes. There are three third tier classes, which can be unlocked by reaching Lv.20 with two second-tier classes.
      This game is free, yes, FREE, to play on Steam, and I will try to update with new info as I get more into the game. Even though it's free, you still have the option to spend real money to get ahead in the game.
     Next post will be coming up soon, hopefully followed by another, and another, not several months apart :D

Universe Sandbox

Yep, another Steam game.
If you're interested in the majestic workings of the universe, the stark beauty of a large rocky mass orbiting a ball of burning gases, and LAUNCHING STARS HUNDREDS OF TIMES LARGER THAN THE SUN, AT THE SUN, you might like Universe Sandbox.
I haven't fully explored all the features, but the detail it presents is quite amazing.
You can place planets, comets, asteroids, stars, even galaxies in the void of space, and watch as the game's extremely realistic physics go to work. After that, you can tweak the aforementioned celestial objects to your liking. You can change their diameter from several kilometers to thousands of AU (Astronomical Units) and everything in between. Size, mass, density, among several other parameters, can be changed to affect your little universe. You can also place dice, teapots, soccer balls and other man-made objects in space, and they act as a space-object.
If you don't feel like taking the time to build your own universe, the game has over 70 built-in simulations including a working model of our solar system, and the Death Star orbiting Endor.

http://universesandbox.com/
Looks fun, eh? I think so.

Orion: Dino Beatdown

First off, i'm really psyched about this game.
5-player co-op, open world, survival horror, with dinosaurs and jetpacks.
That pretty much explains it.
Developer website: http://spiralgamestudios.com/post/17895631228/orion-dino-beatdown-announced
Coming to Steam and OnLive in March 2012, $9.99.

After several delays, I got the game, to find that my poor laptop can't run the game over 1 FPS. Bummer.
Also, IGN doesn't fancy the game: http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/14/orion-dino-beatdown-review

Lime Odyssey

MMORPG time!
I'm keeping this one short though.

Lime Odyssey, developed by Sirius Entertainment, and produced in U.S by Aeria Entertainment, is an amazing example of an MMORPG. We've waited since Nov2010, when Aeria first announced Lime, and the Alpha test is finally here.
I haven't played it too much, but it is very good. (Much better than Eden Eternal, the MMORPG AE released early in 2011, in my opinion)
Head over here: http://limeodyssey.aeriagames.com/ for info, sign-up for alpha invites, and much more!

Glitch!

     Yes, Glitch. A wonderful little flash-based MMO that I find myself spending hours on every day. This game has the ability to bring you back, time and time again. On the outside, it seems like any other 'little me' game. You customize your avatar, run around, talk to people, and play with animals.

There is much, MUCH more, to Glitch. For one, the animals talk. Trees talk. Pretty much everything in this game, can talk. As you run around picking fruit and beans off of trees, squeezing grain out of chickens, you find yourself wondering, "What!? I just squoze...squeezed...squzzed...a chicken...and grain came out. Oh, and over there, that tree, beans grow on it. Hm."
    This game has many odd quirks. For one, the game recently launched out of it's Beta into full release-mode, but Stewart Butterfield, head of Tiny Speck, the company that developed the game, didn't like the way the game was going. Glitch was promptly 'unlaunched', and is now in Beta again.
Also, the entire game is based on imagination; the imagination of 11 giants, in fact. These 'Giants' act as the gods of the Glitch universe, creating and imagining everything inside it. Players can donate items to the shrines of these giants, to either obtain an 'Emblem' of x giant, or to speed up the learning time of a skill, which are essential for improving your character's gathering/crafting abilities.
     As in every (Or at lest most) games, there is still a villain, and this villain is the Rook. The Rook is a large, black-ish raven-like bird that opposes imagination: the binding force of the world of Ur.
Players, with the right skills in their arsenal, can engage these Rooks in a special event, called a Rook Attack. These events happen randomly (Though fairly rarely) throughout the world. When enough players with the right skills show up at a Rook Attack, they (with the use of their skills) channel their power into a special Orb, and stun the Rook, defeating it for the time being. There is no blood, just some animations (Amazing animations) of the Rook raking it's talons across the screen and some pretty explosions.

As for recent updates to the game, a test-version has been released for the much-awaited and much-anticipated housing update. Previous to the update, all player housing was located in a 'Quarter'. In each Quarter, there were Blocks. Each block held anywhere from 8-12 houses. All houses in a specific Quarter were of a static design, based on the region the Quarter was located in. Meadow houses were large, clean mansions, while houses in the 'Firebogs', were dirty, gourd-shaped houses.

In this new update, the entire housing system will be scrapped, and brought back together in a totally new way. Housing Quarters will totally dissapear. Instead of houses being located in a neighborhood along with other similar houses, each player will have their own personal Street, on which their new super-house will be placed. These new super-houses will be totally customizable. You will be able to add anything to your house, including furniture you have crafted yourself, pieces and parts from other sorts of houses, increase the size of your yard, and much much more.

My Glitch's Avatar

In addition, the current experience system will be replaced by the new 'Imagination system', in which you receive 'Imagination' for everything you do. You will be able to use this Imagination to expand your house, or increase your energy pool, among other things.

     Altogether, I feel that though this game is going through a lot of change, it is thoroughly fun, and it definitely caters to a lot of different people. You can decide to be a miner, isolating yourself from civilization in cold, dark caves, swinging away with you pick. You might choose the route of the cook, feeding yourself and other Glitchen, or you could become a tinker, crafting and fixing the tools necessary for everyday Glitching.
*Be warned though: The population of this game is mostly adults, kids might not be able to socialize/experience the game fully.
To play the game, head here: www.Glitch.com and sign up for a beta invite. If you want to get one faster, send me your email address so a player can send you an invite.

My Glitch's new house, showcasing the diversity of objects/furniture in the game